Rocket Lab Schedules Late February Cassowary Vex HASTE Launch Deploying DART AE
Rocket Lab’s Cassowary Vex mission will launch in late February from Wallops Island, Virginia, using its HASTE rocket to deploy the DART AE scramjet aircraft developed by Hypersonix. It marks Rocket Lab’s fourth hypersonic test in six months, leveraging Mach 20 flight profiles for U.S. defense testing.
1. Mission Details
Rocket Lab’s HASTE rocket will conduct the Cassowary Vex mission no earlier than late February from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, for the Defense Innovation Unit.
2. Payload and Partners
The mission, named “That’s Not A Knife,” will deploy the DART AE scramjet-powered aircraft developed by Hypersonix, marking Rocket Lab’s fourth hypersonic test flight in under six months.
3. Strategic Hypersonic Capability
HASTE provides commercial hypersonic test launches up to Mach 20, enabling rapid, cost-effective flight profile control that supports U.S. and allied defense innovation and space superiority initiatives.